Amazon Lets You Have It Both Ways

Discs are better for collecting, streaming for instant gratification. Wouldn't it be great to get both in one purchase? That's exactly what Amazon is doing with its Disc+ On Demand. The slogan is "Buy Now, Watch Now."

This limited-time offer is only for U.S. customers and involves just 300 standard-def titles in the Amazon Video On Demand library. There's DRM, of course, and it expires in 30 days. Even so, you're getting a disc as well, and you can always watch that any time in the future. Is everybody happy?

With the waning of disc sales, Amazon may have found the ideal transitional strategy. We're guessing the offer eventually will be matched elsewhere. Who will do it first: Netflix, Blockbuster, or none of the above?